show’s about to begin
The Circus With the Yellow Clown, 1967, Marc Chagall
show’s about to begin
moonlight,
finding love
impossible.
tight-rope
madness sensed
below.
laughing
is but
a state of mind.
imitation
initiation
invocation
a secret society.
wipe the morning smirk
off your unmade face.
everybody, come;
be on time;
playing the clown, always…
**************************
Written for:
Magpie Tales – Mag 110
Also written for:
#320 – Always
Posted on May 20, 2012, in Magpie Tales, Poetry and tagged circus, clown, early modernism, Magpie Tales, Marc Chagall. Red Roofs, Moishe Shagal, poetry prompt, Russian Avant-Garde, russian painters, writing prompt, yellow. Bookmark the permalink. 40 Comments.
Verification wastes my time, and often doesn't work. I am going to stop commenting on pages that require verification one of these days.
ZONGRIK 
ha if everyone is ever on time all at once, the world may end…smiles….that seems to be a constant…i like laughter as a state of mind, that is a cool thought for sure…
tightrope madness sensed below, really like this imagery
Laughing and clowning and wild animals are strange bedfellows but only true in a circus. We shouldn’t be clowning around animals, wild or otherwise as some one may get hurt! Great write, Tammy!
Hank
We all play the part of the clown at one time in our lives, this was a expression on the feeling of being .
Love this…captures the whimsical and the serious sides of people…
“wipe the morning smirk
off your unmade face.” my favorite phrase … love it.
Peace,
Siggi in Downeast Maine
Love ‘wipe the morning smirk off your unmade face.” Just a sassy remark. And showing up on time? WHOSE time? (wink) Nice work, Z. Love, Amy
Hmm, the morning smirk on an unmade face…..there’s a whole lot of deep power moving through these lines! Very nice read!
Circus families are secret societies, the lifestyle so different from the ordinary! You captured the feeling from within and without!
I really like this, especially the opening:
“moonlight,
finding love
impossible.
tight-rope
madness sensed
below”
And also this:
“imitation
initiation
invocation
a secret society”
Outstanding imagery. I really liked this!
Reminds me of Wavy Gravy, the ultimate political clown!
Oo! Morning smirk? LOL
I love, “Wipe the morning smirk off your unmade face” it speaks volumes! Well written piece, Zongrik!
Okay, I was just about to make Brenda’s comment!!! I also love your ending! Perfect comparison, zongrik!
Nicely crafted. Time does tend to muck things up! Ha!!
Hugs
SUeAnn
I love this. We make up our faces and play the clown, always. I like the depth in this poem.
A very neat match of visual and verbal imagery.
I like that imitation/secret society stanza–like a chant. then following it with that twist on ‘wipe that smile off your face’. nice
Hotel California, you can check out any time you like but you can never leave….
You have captured the vibrancy and immediacy of circus life in this poem, Zongrik. I also am a fan of the imagery you’ve created. Awesome write. =D
Great images. Love the way you use words.
=)
“Playing the clown, always.”
Yes, send them in, as the song says.
Ah yes, we all play the clown sometimes. Well done.
I love this. Zappy and true. Laughter truly is controlled by certain states of mind!
I’ve had friends who insisted on playing the ‘clown card’ … at times a little unsettling. I enjoyed this.
Life’s too short to be serious all the time! Nice one.
this poem made for a wonderful “trip”, Z. an echo of ee cummings.
My favorite line has to be “wipe that smirk off your unmade face!” Liked it.
imitation
initiation
invocation
a secret society.
I found these interesting.
Love and light
I, too, play the clown…
Wow Zong’, this is really Mercurial and kinda Hypnotic, thanks !
I like this play on words..play on ideas..every day is a kind of show (sometimes why it’s best not to leave the house)..another powerful write..Jae
Oh, yes!
I really like the linking of imitation, initiation, invocation…nice…
This is what we do. Great write.
Anna :o]
always playing the clown can be kind of a bummer
Love “wipe the morning smirk off your unmade face”. Hope I can use that in life sometime. 🙂
Great work! It’s hard to keep your balance on a tight rope, but you’ve done it well in this!
clowns are one of the most interesting in the universe.
great rhythm all throughout and loved the voice on this one. it’s really good.
moonlight finding love impossible i like that” very cool”.